PURIFICATION AND IMMOBILIZATION OF ASPERGILLUS-NIGER PECTINASE ON MAGNETIC LATEX BEADS

A commercial preparation of pectinase pectinex was purified with the h elp of alginate-magnetite beads. The purified pectinase was immobilize d an magnetic latex beads via carbodiimide coupling. The maximum effic iency of the immobilized preparation was calculated as 81% of the tota l activity bound to the beads. This was at the lowest level of couplin g tried. The pH optimum (pH 4.5 for both free as well as immobilized e nzyme) and k(m) (0.7 mg/ml for free enzyme; 1 mg/ml for immobilized en zyme) did not vary significantly upon immobilization. While the half l ife of free enzyme was calculated as 9 min., the immobilized preparati on remained stable up to 3 h at 60 degrees C.